Deep within the "dance of the elements" lies the secret
symphony of Life.If we can allow the ebbs and flows to guide us
through Life's natural rhythms, wewill find our lives to be truly
harmonious adventures, rather than dissonant catastrophes.You are
invited to imagine with me for a moment, how it all came to Be. Let us
drift back tothe Void, to the Nothing that is All, the All that is
Nothing. Back before the beginnings ofTime, before the formations of
Space, even before the Big Bang. As we resonate with theessence of
Nothingness, we gradually become aware of a quieter birth. Out of the
Silenceis emerging a subtle pulse, as if the Void itself possesses a
Heart at its core - barelyperceptible at first, like the breath of a
baby on your cheek, yet it is comingfrom everywhere, and nowhere, and
it is felt within, as much as without.Waves of yin and yang, ebb and
flow, in and out,slowly, gently, breathing Life into Life.

As the opposite polarities begin their dance, they choose their
costumes and prepare fortheir debuts. Suddenly, out of nowhere, yang
bursts forth as Fire, the Spirit of God,seeking identity,
vitality, Life itself. It manifests into Earth, yin, the substance
of Gaia,Mother Nature, to anchor the consciousness into form. Out of
this union comes yang again,this time as Air, communicating,
learning, noting the relationships between all things.Once more yin
brings the balance, flowing in as Water, feeling the
connections,gathering together, coalescing.

Fire-Air = yang, Earth-Water =
yin

Pain is inevitably a symptom of disharmony between the intention and
the reality,signaling an imbalance somewhere. Any one of the elements
can be usedto balance any of the others, particularly those in
opposite polarities.Whenever we are frantic, hurried, careless,
agitated, getting ahead of ourselves,angry, breathless or overheated,
our Fire is burning too hot. (This is oftenwhen the "pot boils over"
and things go very wrong) A dose of Earth willsettle us down, Water
will cool us off, and Air will give us a breather.Each element has its
valued role to play. Wholenessis impossible without all of the
elements dancing.

Fire is the ignition point, initial impulse, innocence, spontaneity,
rising to the occasion,always at the centre of the Universe,
God-consciousness. If out-of-balance, however,the impulses become rash
and sudden, ego-centered, lashing out at anything andanyone who
opposes or hinders its intentions. Fire seeks to know itself(its
"Self") through the thrill of the adrenaline rush, eternally
challengingLife to support it. Playful, innovative and naive, the
childlike lust for lifelives within our fiery spirit, shown by our
Sun, Mars and Jupiter, andany planets in Aries, Leo or Sagittarius or
the 1st, 5th or 9th houses.

Fire is candid, blunt and honest to a fault, so if we are denying any
of our Inner Truth,deceiving ourselves in any way, we are bound to
attract a fiery friend or two into our liveswho will be more than
happy to act it out for us. Essentially shameless, raw Fire willboldly
leap into the fray, no matter what the risk. Whenever we need a push,
inwalks a Fire-sign. Theirs is the role of the Sacred Clown, reminding
us all tojust "get it, and get ON with it," laughing all the way!

Every Fire sign in the zodiac is followed by an Earth sign, and for
very good reason.The element of Earth provides the parameters of Time
and Space to the Life force of Fire.Planet Earth was the destination
when Spirit chose to become manifest. Our physical bodiesare the
chosen vehicles for our individual Souls. Our earthly sojourns embody the
experienceof integrating Light and Dark, not choosing one, or the
other. The involution of Spiritinto Matter invokes the natural
reaction of Matter's evolution back into Spirit.This earth
plane is "where the twain shall meet." We are livingin the
cross-current, which is why balance is the key.

Fire sees Earth as heavy, dull, and slow, while Earth sees Fire as
wild, wastefuland dangerous. When out-of-balance, any element can be
destructive. When gravityis weighing us down, the levity of Fire is a
welcome relief. Likewise, when our fieryenergy is flying around
unleashed, we need boundaries, guidelines and discipline,i.e. Earth;
look for Saturn. We contain the flames of our campfires with dirt &
stones (Earth) in order to harness Fire's power and use it for heat,
lightor cooking. Without any constraints, Fire will burn-up
everythingin sight, and then die. Earth (a la Taurus, Venus & 2nd
house)provides our food and shelter for survival and sensual
pleasures,(via Virgo & 6th house) keeps our physical
surroundingsin working order, and (by way of Capricorn & 10th
house)is responsible, organized and productive, teaching us the
value of ritual, patience and consequence.

In the natural way of yin and yang, Earth will sink and Fire will rise,
as exemplifiedin Hexagram 12 of the I Ching: "Stagnation." So, even
with Fire (yang) and Earth (yin)working side-by-side, there is no
interaction, until the breeze of Air blows through.As the flames of
Fire are fanned, and Earth's many seedlings are spread far and
wide,communication has begun. Gemini, Libra and Aquarius folk are all
messengers,thinkers and coordinators. If they didn't connect-the-dots
for the rest of us, wewould all be lost. Just like 3rd, 7th and 11th
house placements, the Air signsmake contact, keep phone lists, share
ideas, encourage cooperation,play Cupid or social director, and are
basically in thebusiness of information, education and alternatives.

Seeking to know the relationships between all things, Air floats in and
out of any spacewith ease. Mercury (Hermes) is Air's primary agent, as
he inquires, investigates, observes,and seems to be everywhere at
once. Air does not claim preference to either "side," butinstead
focuses on the bridge across the chasm. Literal "space" gives us room to
breathe,time to think and provides a window of objectivity unavailable
through any other element.Air can truly be the "pause that refreshes."
The earthen vessel is of little value withoutthe hollow space in the
centre. We can suffocate in our own self-indulgences, like thespoiled
"only child," if we don't leave any room in our lives for other people
orfresh ideas. Air reminds us to keep things in perspective, to open
up andlisten, to be flexible and willing to try a different angle.

Detachment is Air's claim to fame, spending most of its time travelling
the mental circuits,translating the signals for the rest of us.
Detachment, however, can quickly become callous,aloof, and
superficial. Falling victim to the hubris of "thinking we know better" is
acommon trap for our intellectual Air waves. Each element is a part of
the process, not thefinal vehicle. Losing touch with our bodies, our
purpose, or our "brothers and sisters" can bea fatal mistake. We can
become scattered, fickle, gossipy, phony, crass and even unreliable.If
we allow ourselves to slip this far, we are inviting a deluge of Water to
engulf us. We arelikely to experience a "low blow" of some kind, in
order to bring us back down-to-earth.

Water is the elixir of Life, as well as the universal solvent. It
merges, softens, cleanses and heals. It unites us all through Soul.
Gathering together, soothing, nurturing, supporting and loving
unconditionally all merge into the psychic glue of the Water element.
Cancer, Scorpio & Pisces are the home-turf of emotions, feelings and
intuitions. Contrasts and comfort zones are immediately obvious to these
sensitive, loving, artistic people, as they automatically notice what is
"in common," and what makes us "family." Clan gatherings, photo albums,
memorabilia, churches, company picnics, clubs, and even web-rings are all
expressions of the watery needs in our psyches to belong somewhere. The
Moon, Neptune and Pluto all call onus to reflect, remember and
empathize, to recognize kindred spirits in the eyes of strangers.

As the element of Soul, Water plays the last card. Our collective
journey began with Spirit coming into physical form, its goal to realize
Soul. Likewise, each mini-sojourn in our individual lives imitates the
bursting forth of fiery impulse to "in-volve" itself in Life,and
concludes with the Soul's urge to "e-volve" back to Spirit. Spirit is the
One, theSource of the original intent to incarnate, so we each feel
Fire as the urge of Self.Soul, being the individual's speck of the
One, is what unites us all in our commongoal of evolution, where we
feel our deepest kinship, through profound humility.If we continue to
deny our vulnerabilities, emotions, fears and "funny feelings,"we will
remain strapped to the same old wheel, with the same old problems
andnever understanding how we are continually recreating our own
limitations.

The innate fluidity of Water is the perfect reminder that even the
"endings"ascribed to the Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio & Pisces)
and houses(4, 8, 12) are not finite, but always in motion.
Shapeshifting usright into the next reality, Life suddenly pushes us
on, and weemerge anew, sometimes still blinking our eyes,
wonderingwhat happened. To "emote" means to move, in anoutward
direction, or to stir up. Whenever we"stir the pot," we inevitably
bring newthings up to the surface (Fire). Thus, even if weget
swallowed up in our personal dilemmas, that verysame Water sign or
house evolves into the newness of Fire,and the cycle continues to
replay in our lives through endless spiralsof time. Integrity is the integral
component in the Dance of the Elements, asit shares the same root
meaning as integrate. The secret of soul is the
integrationof all the elements, as we weave
our ways through Life. The wholeness of Mother Naturecannot allow
righteousness and bigotry and separatism.Love is inclusive, not exclusive.